Former New York City speaker Christine Quinn has apologized for calling New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon an “unqualified lesbian.”

Quinn, who served as the first female and openly gay Speaker of the New York City Council from 2006-2013, slammed Nixon in an interview with the New York Post for not supporting her run for mayor. Instead, Nixon was a supporter of New York City’s current mayor Bill de Blasio.

“Cynthia Nixon was opposed to having a qualified lesbian become mayor of New York City,” Quinn told the Post. “Now she wants to be an unqualified lesbian to be the governor of New York. You have to be qualified and have experience. She isn’t qualified to be the governor.”

In a series of tweets, Quinn apologized for the comment and says the remark was meant to address Nixon’s qualifications not her sexuality.

“To be clear, Cynthia Nixon’s identity has no bearing on her candidacy and it was not my intention to suggest it did. I want to be clear about that. I would never, EVER, criticize someone because of their identity,” Quinn tweets. “I’ve experienced it time and time again, and would never support it or condone it. As a lesbian who ran one of the most high profile races in the country, i know what that’s like. And I know it’s imperative that we encourage more members of our community to run for office.”

“Cynthia Nixon aggressively opposed my candidacy in New York despite my qualifications for the office and despite my strong progressive credentials. I was attempting to make a comparison between the two of us,” she continued. “The real point I am trying to make is that qualifications matter and records matter. I do not believe she has the qualifications or the record.”

To be clear, Cynthia Nixon’s identity has no bearing on her candidacy and it was not my intention to suggest it did. I want to be clear about that. I would never, EVER, criticize someone because of their identity. 1/4

I’ve experienced it time and time again, and would never support it or condone it. As a lesbian who ran one of the most high profile races in the country, i know what that’s like. And I know it’s imperative that we encourage more members of our community to run for office. 2/4

Cynthia Nixon aggressively opposed my candidacy in New York despite my qualifications for the office and despite my strong progressive credentials. I was attempting to make a comparison between the two of us. 3/4